Norfolk Comeback Attempt Falls Short in Worcester

WORCESTER, Mass. – Johan Harju scored twice and the Norfolk Admirals netted a pair of goals early in the third period to tie the game at 3-3. However, Tommy Wingels scored with 5:36 left in regulation to give the Worcester Sharks (2-2-1-1) a 4-3 victory over the Admirals on Sunday afternoon at the DCU Center.

The Admirals, who also received a goal from Matt Fornataro, finished their five-day, four-game road trip with two wins and two losses, bringing their 2010-11 season record to 5-2-0-0. Norfolk will host the Portland Pirates at Norfolk Scope Arena on Friday and Saturday.

Harju opened scoring with his third goal of the season 17:41 into the first period. Mark-Antoine Pouliot sent a shot from the top of the left circle through traffic that Harju tipped past Sharks goaltender Alex Stalock for a 1-0 Admirals lead.

Worcester tied the game at 1-1 with only 12 seconds remaining in the first period. Matt Irwin attempted a shot from the left faceoff circle that was blocked in the slot. Benn Ferriero quickly found the loose puck in the right faceoff circle and fired it into the net at 19:48.

The Sharks took the lead only 50 seconds into the second stanza on a shorthanded goal. Ferriero sent a shot from the right circle that Admirals goaltender Cedrick Desjardins blocked. However, Worcester forward Andrew Desjardins found the rebound in the left circle and shot it under the legs of the Norfolk goalie for a 2-1 Sharks lead.

Worcester doubled their lead midway through the second period on the power play. James Marcou found a loose puck in the right faceoff circle and sent a quick shot past Desjardins at 12:10 for a 3-1 Sharks lead.

The Admirals mounted a comeback early in the third period beginning with Harju’s second goal of the game. Blair Jones cut across the right circle and went behind the net before backhanding a pass into the left circle. Harju one-timed the puck past Stalock for his fourth goal of the season just 3:54 into the final frame.

Norfolk tied the game at 3-3 just 36 seconds later with Fornataro's second goal of the season. Paul Szczechura sent a pass from the left circle to the goalmouth. Matt Fornataro redirected the puck past the left leg of Stalock at 4:30.

However, Worcester re-claimed the lead for good just under ten minutes later just as an Admirals power play expired. Tommy Wingels intercepted the puck at the left point of the Worcester zone and skated into the Norfolk zone two-on-one. Wingels sent a wrist shot from the right circle between the left arm and left leg of Desjardins at 14:24 for a 4-3 Sharks lead.

The Admirals return to Scope on Friday and Saturday to battle the Portland Pirates. The puck drops on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday at 7:15 p.m.

On Friday, fans will receive 2010-11 Admirals magnetic schedules, courtesy of ITAC. Saturday is the Admirals Fall Puck Crawl to benefit The Noblemen. Puck Crawl participants will receive discounts on Saturday afternoon at participating Downtown Norfolk restaurants, promotional items and a ticket to Saturday night’s Admirals game in their registration package. For more details, please visit norfolkadmirals.com or call (757) 640-1212.

Individual tickets for all regular season games start at just $12. Tickets are available now at the Scope Box Office, all Ticketmaster Outlets, charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000 and online at ticketmaster.com.

Don’t miss a minute of the action by purchasing your 2010-11 season tickets today. Season tickets start at just $350 while 10-Packs are available for as little as $110. Stop by the Admirals’ Administrative Offices at Scope, call (757) 640-1212 weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or visit norfolkadmirals.com anytime!

NOTES … Admirals goaltender Cedrick Desjardins, who was saddled with the loss on Friday against the Syracuse Crunch, has lost back-to-back decisions in regulation for the first time since last November while he was with the Hamilton Bulldogs … Norfolk surrendered its first shorthanded goal of the season when Andrew Desjardins scored in the second period for Worcester … With an assist, Blair Jones stretched his point streak to five games (2G, 6A) … Mathieu Roy’s five-game point streak (1G, 6A) ended … Marc-Antoine Pouliot (2G, 9A) recorded an assist tonight and continues to lead the team in scoring. He has points in six of seven games this season … Scratches: Stefano Giliati, Scott Jackson, Tim Marks, Mitch Fritz … Attendance: 2,248.